The Masters in Public Administration (MPA) program in Environmental Science and Policy at Columbia University is looking to hire teaching assistants (TAs) for its summer 2024 courses. The following positions are available:
- Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology/Risk Assessment (3 TA positions)
- Climatology and Hydrology (3 TA positions)
- Principles of Ecology and Urban Ecology (3 TA positions)
Time Commitment and Responsibilities:
The total semester-long time commitment expected for these positions will be equivalent to approximately 240 hours (avg of 20 hrs/week) and the pay level is $13,368 for the summer. The time commitment generally consists: of a three-hour morning lecture which TAs will attend, followed by two afternoon lab sections (each 2.5 hours in length) that the TAs lead, once a week (i.e. one full day a week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.). TAs are also responsible for meeting with the professor to review the following week’s material, preparing material for laboratory exercises, and will assist during field trips when these are part of the course. TAs are expected to grade lab reports and course assignments.
Position Descriptions:
Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology and Risk Assessment
- These two courses take place over 12 weeks from May 30 to August 23, with the first six weeks dedicated to Environmental Chemistry, and the second six weeks dedicated to Risk Assessment and Toxicology. Both the class and associated lab sections meet one day per week for the 12-week session. Graduate level student applicants are preferred. Applicants with experience teaching science to non-science students or undergraduates are also preferred.
- Desired qualifications for the environmental chemistry/risk assessment course
include: undergraduate level courses in environmental chemistry/geochemistry, and/or environmental toxicology. - TAs should should be be proficient in basic statistics (correlation testing and t-tests, etc.) and graphing and data analysis functions in excel and/or google sheets; basic coding skills and conducting hands-on lab experiments in basic chemistry would be a plus.
Climatology and Hydrology
- These two courses take place over a 12-week session from May 30 to August 23, with the first six weeks dedicated to Climatology, and the second six weeks dedicated to Hydrology. Both the class and associated lab sections meet one day per week for the 12-week session. Graduate-level student applicants are preferred. Applicants with experience teaching science to non-science students or undergraduates are also preferred.
- Desired qualifications for the climatology/hydrology course include: undergraduate level courses in basic earth science, climatology, and/or hydrology.
- TAs should have experience in basic climatology and also be proficient in basic statistics and Excel graphing.
Principles of Ecology and Urban Ecology
- These two courses run over a 12-week session from May 30 to August 23, with the first six weeks dedicated to Principles of Ecology, and the second six weeks dedicated to Urban Ecology. Both the class and associated lab sections meet one day per week for the 12-week session. Graduate-level student applicants are preferred. Applicants with experience teaching science to non-science students or undergraduates are also preferred.
- Desired qualifications for the ecology courses include: academic background in
ecology and/or conservation biology. - TAs should have experience conducting research in ecology and also be proficient in basic statistics and Excel.
Application Process:
For more information on the MPA program and for more information about the summer courses, please consult the program’s website. To apply for these positions, please send a cover letter stating your interest, your resume, and contact information by email to Maya Lugo at mll2195@sipa.columbia.edu. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and should be submitted no later than Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. Students graduating in May 2024 are not eligible. Only graduate level (master’s and Ph.D.) students are eligible to apply.
The MPA in Environmental Science and Policy at Columbia University is also looking to hire TAs for its summer 2024 GIS course (1 TA position).
Time Commitment & Responsibilities:
The total course commitment expected for these positions will be equivalent to approximately 20 hours; the pay level is $6684 for the class.
Analytics for Environmental Science and Policy
- This course takes place over a 12-week session from May 30 to August 23, with the first six weeks dedicated to review of mathematic concepts and the second six weeks dedicated to learning GIS. The course meets once per week in two different groups of less than 35 students. Graduate level student applicants are preferred. Applicants with experience teaching science to non-science students or undergraduates are also preferred.
- We are hiring only for the GIS portion of this course July 15 – August 23 (4 sessions). The course has two sessions on Monday. The first session is 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., the second session is from 1 p.m.- 3:30 p.m. (5 hrs/Monday).
- The person in this position will be responsible for answering questions during the class hours.
Application Process:
For more information on the MPA program and for more information about the summer courses, please consult the program’s website. To apply for this position, please send a cover letter stating your interest, your resume, and contact information by email to Maya Lugo at mll2195@sipa.columbia.edu. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and should be submitted no later than Tuesday, April 9, 2024. Students graduating in May 2024 are not eligible. Only graduate level (master’s and Ph.D.) students are eligible to apply.
